Why You Need A Programmable Thermostat In Your Home

Recently, programmable thermostats have become more standard in homes across the nation. Many homeowners are finding that making a simple change from a manual thermostat to a programmable one offers many benefits to your wallet, your home and your comfort.

Adding a programmable thermostat to your heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit is an easy project that you can quickly do on your own. You simply purchase a thermostat, and then remove your old unit from the wall, noting where and how the wires are connected. Next, you connect the wires to your new thermostat. It’s important to read over your new thermostat’s installation and setup guide in order to take advantage of all that it can offer your system.

1. Saving Money

The biggest benefit programmable thermostats offer is the cost savings. Energy bills continue to rise in all parts of the world, and the best way to combat this is to try to reduce your energy usage.

With programmable thermostats, you can adjust the temperature to the exact point of your own personal comfort. For every degree you raise or lower the temperature in your home during the heat of the summer or the cold of winter, you can save up to 2 percent on your utility bill. You don’t have to keep your air conditioning or heat on high while you’re away from home. You can create a schedule that follows your family’s routine, and keeps the temperature cool or warm while you’re there, but eases up on the energy usage when you’re not home.

2. A Consistent Temperature

Another big plus of programmable thermostats is their ability to help you maintain the perfect, consistent temperature throughout your home. Instead of cranking the air conditioner on high during the height of a heat wave, programmable thermostats can run at a constant level. During the freezing cold of the winter, your heat can stay steady as it follows your programmed temperature schedule.

With the help of a programmable thermostat, your family and friends can feel more comfortable in your home all year long, and you can avoid major hot or cold spots in different areas of your house.

3. Less Time Adjusting

Homeowners also love the fact that they can spend less time adjusting their thermostat with a programmable version. With a manual thermostat, it can take some practice and extra time to go through the steps of setting the temperature during different times of the day. When it’s time to leave your house, you have to go back to the wall unit and make adjustments — a practice many of us neglect in the first place. Then, you have to readjust every time you come home, when you go off to bed and when you wake up in the morning.

Using a programmable thermostat can eliminate all of that time spent in front of your manual device. You can set a schedule one time per season, and then forget about it, so you can focus on feeling comfortable instead.

4. Increase Your Home’s Efficiency

Keeping your home energy-efficient is one of the top maintenance issues that homeowners think about throughout the change of seasons. A more efficient home can utilize its resources more effectively and bring less wear and tear to major appliances and systems. Our nation may be facing energy shortages in the future, and it’s important to make sure your home doesn’t contribute to energy wastefulness and negative environmental impacts. Using a programmable thermostat is one thing you can do to help curb your waste.

5. Keep Your HVAC System Optimized

Before installing a brand new HVAC system, most contractors give residents recommendations to try first before committing to such a large purchase. If your HVAC system is older or not as efficient, before you invest in buying a new one, you may want to try pairing it with a programmable thermostat to help it do its job. When you reduce the workload and help your appliance work at its best, this can give it a little more time to get you through the season.

If you do need to replace your HVAC unit, you can help keep your new purchase in top condition with a scheduled system of heating and cooling.

6. Take Advantage of Time

Another benefit of programmable thermostats is that they allow you to take advantage of the different times of day and the temperature variations depending on the position of the sun and the season. When the morning or afternoon sun starts to heat up your home during the peak times of the summer months, you can adjust your cooling schedule. Likewise, during the colder parts of the year, you can reduce your heating power and let the warmth of the sun help take over the warming duties. During the cold winter nights, you’ll likely need to boost your HVAC’s heating power to help keep your family comfortable.

7. Use High Tech Tools

Newer models of programmable thermostats are coming equipped with many different varieties of high tech tools, such as Wi-Fi ability or technology that allows you to control your thermostat using a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Having a thermostat that is connected to your home network can help you create a truly linked home that can be easily controlled from the comfort of your couch or virtually anywhere. If you are on vacation and you notice that there is an unseasonably warm or cold day back home, you can adjust the temperature of your house thermostat easily from your device.

8. Maximize Zoned Heating and Cooling

The final way that programmable thermostats can help keep your residence running smoothly is if you have multiple climate zones within your home. Different zones around your home can already increase the energy efficiency of your property. With programmable controls in each zone, you can truly customize each climate and temperature throughout your home’s square footage.

Benefits of Programmable Thermostats

Spending the small amount of money that is needed for a programmable thermostat can be one of the most cost effective investments for your residence. You can expect to take advantage of additional energy savings that may be reflected in a lower utility bill. Beyond the money savings, programmable thermostats can help you maintain the best and coziest atmosphere throughout your interior spaces.